


The Truth is Out There

by Molespeople



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Agent Hale is a Skeptic, Agent Stilinski is a Believer, Alternative Universe - FBI, Gen, I've Been Watching Too Much X-Files
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-05
Updated: 2013-07-09
Packaged: 2017-12-17 18:17:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/870530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Molespeople/pseuds/Molespeople
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Special Agent Hale wasn't expecting his work with Special Agent Stilinski to challenge everything he thought he knew. </p>
<p>It doesn't help that almost everything seems to be connected to the paranormal or aliens these days.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Of Toasters and Conspiracies

**Author's Note:**

> Yup. I've been watching The X-Files and this just wouldn't leave me alone. Un'beta'ed.

FBI Headquarters  
Washington, DC  
March 25th, 2012 

Special Agent Derek Hale walks down a quiet hallway. This is not how he imagined his life going. He went to medical school for this? To hold the hand of the laughingstock of the Bureau. He joined to help people, to save lives, to take action - instead of waiting for problems to come to him. He's worked so hard in his career to be respected and now he's been assigned to work with a guy who investigates haunted toasters. He checks a piece of paper one more time before spotting his intended destination. He walks towards the empty doorway and peers into the room. He sees a complete mess - stacks of boxes, glossy photos and a map covered in pushpins decorate the wall. There's one outdated computer in the corner. It doesn't really jibe with the clinical and professional feeling typical of the Bureau. 

"Admission to the Spooky Stilinski exhibit is $5. It's bring your own popcorn."

Derek nearly jumps upon hearing the disembodied voice. But upon further investigation, there's a man in a suit hidden behind a pile of boxes. Derek waits silently. Eventually the man looks up from his cell phone. 

"Whoa, you're still here. It must be my lucky day."

Derek tries not to outright scowl at the man especially if they are to be partners. "Agent Stilinski? I'm Derek Hale, I've been assigned to work with you."

Agent Stilinski starts to laugh. "Oh man, who did you piss off?" 

Derek frowns. "If you're implying that my performance with the FBI has been less than exemplary..."

Agent Stilinski lets out a whistle. "Well look at you and all those big words - Word of the Day calendar working out for you?"

Derek's frown intensifies. 

"Because you must be stupid if you think I don't know why you're really here, Agent Hale. You're my own personal walking and talking debunker." The man pauses and looks Derek straight in the eye. "You should know that I don't take kindly to people treating me like I'm crazy - so at least be subtle about it."

It's not the most auspicious beginning to their partnership.  
\-------  
His first X-File case nearly makes him doubt his sanity. But Agent Stilinski bops along prattling about alien abductions and other paranormal phenomena. He takes every strange situation that they encounter in stride, while Derek sits up late at night, staring at his reports, contemplating how to explain the things that they see within the bounds of science in a way so he doesn't seem as crazy as his partner. Some days it feels more like forcing a puzzle piece in place - it's never quite right.

He watches Agent Stilinski sing and dance to songs like Starships or U.F.O. and he wonders if it's too late for his sanity - conflicted if he should be smashing Stilinski's iPod into a million pieces or smiling at his antics.

It's not all fun and games. There's death, conspiracies, and tears. One rainy night while sitting in a car in Syracuse, Stilinski tells him about his mother's abduction by aliens, how he was sleeping in his parents' bed while his dad was on the night shift, how the room was engulfed in a white light, about how helpless and cowardly he felt when he couldn't move even though his mom was crying for help. Derek doesn't know what to say to Stilinski. He's afraid if he tries to commiserate, to tell Stilinski about his own tragedies that it will feel like one-upmanship, but there's nothing paranormal about the fire - so Derek stays silent.

It becomes a comfortable existence, like his favorite sweatshirt. Working on the X-Files, it's never boring. Hearing Stilinski rattle off statistics about cattle mutilations or explain the very latest government conspiracy starts to become endearing. Even the strange looks he gets at headquarters don't bother him anymore. Sure, he lies in his bed late at night, staring at his alarm clock, trying to reconcile his experiences with facts and tangible evidence. It's almost insurmountable. He can't accept that the things he sees are real. Science and other realistic explanations are the only things keeping him together, his only tether in a world filled with mysteries, conspiracies, and phenomena. 

And of course that's when everything changes.

\-------

FBI Headquarters  
Washington, DC  
June 6th, 2013

Derek walks into their office. Stilinski is on the phone but frantically waves a Post-It at him. Derek almost rolls his eyes at his antics. He goes to reach for the note and Stilinski dances it out of reach. Derek gives him a particularly stern glare and his partner reluctantly hands over the note. When Derek reads the note, his heart nearly stops. There's only one reason he'd have a phone call from the Central California Women's Facility. 

Kate Argent. 

Derek can immediately feel himself pale and he reaches out to steady himself. He can feel Stilinski guiding him to his chair and everything is just a blur. He tries to focus on Stilinski's hand on his knee, its warmth - it's a welcome distraction. Eventually Derek takes a deep breath and looks at his partner. "I have to go to California." 

Stilinski nods. "Okay, sure, I just need to do a few things before we go."

Derek shakes his head. "No, I need to do this alone."

Stilinski scoffs. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure your sister and uncle would kill me if I let you go alone…So it’s in everybody’s best interest that I come along.” 

\-------

Central California Women’s Facility  
Chowchilla, CA  
June 7th, 2013 

Derek and Stiles follow the prison guard. He leads them to a room with two chairs and a glass partition. Kate is sitting there, smiling slyly, on the other side of the glass. She’s cradling a black phone in the crook of her neck and points to the black phone. Her grin takes on an almost feral intensity. 

Derek stares at the monster across from him and glares at the black phone, but he finally picks it up. 

“What do you want, Kate?” 

Kate throws back her head and lets out a shrill laugh. “Oh, I want lots of things. Some matches, a little bit of gasoline, a big, fat, juicy In-N-Out Burger. Sounds like a party.” 

Derek grits his teeth. “ With me, Kate.” 

Kate laughs. “Are we talking dirty now? Ooh baby, first…” 

Derek slams his fist down on the table. Stiles is watching the exchange with wide eyes.

Kate rolls her eyes. “No need to get all pissy. Girls just want to have fun, you know, especially girls on death row.”

“Explain why I am here, Kate.” 

Kate sighs. “You are here, because I want you to know something.” 

Derek takes a deep breath, his nostrils flaring. “What do you want me to know?” 

Kate tilts her head and gives Derek a coy look. “What if I told you that I didn’t set the fire that killed your family?” 

Derek growls. “I’d say you were a liar.” 

Kate laughs. “That’s what my psychologist says. I swear if I had a dollar for every time –“ 

“If this is some elaborate plot to delay your execution.” 

“Oh no, Derek baby. I would have done this ages ago if I thought it would delay anything. I just thought you would want to know.” 

Derek shakes his head. “You were found at the house with gasoline and matches, how dare you try to say it wasn’t your doing.” 

Kate pouts. “I’m not saying I wasn’t planning on burning your house down with your family in it. That was my plan. But just imagine my surprise, when I arrive at your house and it’s already on fire. Who am I to turn down a free show?” 

Derek hisses into the phone. “You’re sick.” 

“Well, duh. There’s a reason I’m in here, you know. The burning 17 people alive thing didn’t really help matters.”

Derek stares at her. 

Kate rolls her eyes. “Yes, I killed 17 people. But I’m not responsible for the eight people that died in your house.”

“Why are you even telling me this?” 

Kate sighs. “We had some good times, you know.” 

Derek frowns at her. 

“Or…maybe, I don’t want my death to give you a feeling of peace or satisfaction.” 

Derek slams the phone down. But he can still hear Kate’s laughter. 

Derek turns and walks out. “This was a mistake.”

\------

Beacon Hills, CA  
June 7th, 2013

Stilinski seems surprised when they arrive in Beacon Hills. Derek pulls into the lone motel and goes to check in. When he emerges with two room keys, Stilinski is leaning against the car. “Beacon Hills?” 

Derek nods. “It’s where I used to live.” 

Stiles looks a little uncomfortable. “I used to live here too.” 

Derek stares incredulously at Stiles. “Don’t try to make this an X-File, Stilinski.” 

“How can you immediately discount it, Derek? This is where my mom was abducted! With everything that you’ve seen, how can you still not believe?” 

Derek shakes his head. “Here’s your key. I’m going to bed.” 

As Derek walks away, Stilinski yells. “You can’t keep running from the truth, Derek!

Derek answers by slamming his motel room door. 

\-----

The next time Derek sees Stilinski, he’s carrying a cardboard box. 

Derek opens the door to let Stilinski is. “What’s that?” 

Stilinski pats the top of the box. “Everything I could find about the Kate Argent case.” 

Derek frowns. “Why would you do that?” 

Stilinski sighs. “I’ve worked with you for a year. If you don’t at least invalidate Kate’s story, the doubt will keep eating at you…and eating at you…and –“ 

“I get it!” Derek rubs his forehead. “Sorry. I didn’t sleep well.” 

Stilinski nods. “This is understandable. I found something interesting in the incident report. Apparently electrical malfunction was also considered as a possible cause…I’m assuming that the presence of Kate at the scene with a lighter and accelerant didn’t help…but the report seems to indicate that the fire started in one of the bedrooms.” 

Derek stares at him. “What?” 

Stilinski pulls out a folder. “See?” 

Derek shakes his head. “No. That doesn’t make any sense. How could she start the fire upstairs…?” Derek looks at Stiles, sternly. “We have to go back to the scene of the crime.”


	2. Things Start to Heat Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Agent Derek Hale visits his old house. It's not a fun experience. He's also getting tired of hearing about government conspiracies.

Stilinski takes a sip of his coffee. "Do you think this is a good idea?" 

Derek stares blankly at the wreck of a house in front of him. "No, not really." 

Stilinski gives him a sidelong look before making a noncommittal sound. Derek appreciates the fact that Stilinski has restrained himself from commenting further on the situation.

Derek hasn't been back to this house since that one fateful Christmas break. He had been so happy, having a break from his last year of med school at Stanford, bringing his beautiful girlfriend home to meet his family. Little did he know that this was his girlfriend's MO. Spending the holiday with her victims, surveying the layout of the house, only to return later and destroy it. She had done the same thing over Thanksgiving in Arcata, Easter in Mendocino, and the previous Christmas in Pacific Grove. Her targets were specific. She dated young men from small towns attending prestigious schools who had large tight-knit families, the more children the better. Kate Argent was napalm, worming her way into your heart and incinerating everything in the process.

The next time Derek saw Kate he was testifying in court. He saw the complete lack of remorse on her face and he knew he would never be able to sit idly by and let this happen to anyone else. So when the FBI offered him a job, he jumped on it. He uses the image of Peter's scarred lopsided smile, the memory of clutching a sobbing Laura at the funeral as fuel for his investigations - on those late nights when the umpteenth cup of pitch-black coffee has no effect but lives are on the line. Derek's afraid to even contemplate that his career, his life, was all based on a lie. Derek releases his death grip on the steering wheel and exits the vehicle, slamming the car door. 

Stilinski hastily unbuckles his seatbelt and grabs the case file and a camera. "So I guess now we're going into the house...20 minutes later." 

Stilinski watches Derek stomp up the stairs and winces as he sees his partner's foot go through a rotted step. He deposits the file and camera at a safe distance before he helps wriggle Derek's foot out of the hole, brushing off the wet chunks of rotted wood. "I know you're angry but let's try not to Hale Smash the crime scene." 

Derek laughs bitterly. "Very funny." 

Stilinski's expression sobers. "Nothing about this is funny...but at this point I'm just trying to make the best of things."

Derek nods. "Let's get started then." Derek takes a deep breath before he opens the door. It's dark and feels dangerous - so unlike the home that used to be there. It's a dead shell. 

Stilinski starts to study the incident report. Derek waits, trying hard not to focus on any one spot. There's too many memories also buried here. 

"So upstairs is the reason why we're here...maybe we should do that." 

Derek nods. It's a treacherous climb, each step accompanied by an ominous creak. When they reach the top of the stairs, Stilinski frowns at the incident report again before heading down the hallway. 

"This is where the incident report says the fire started." 

Derek wants to vomit. "That's Cora's room." 

Stilinski gives him a worried look. 

"My little sister." 

It seems obvious that this is where the fire started. There's a marked difference in coloration. 

Stilinski carefully steps into the room, waiting for any telltale signs of impending door. Derek watches as he meticulously explores the room. When he starts to frown, focusing on one particular area of the room, Derek's heart drops into the pit of his stomach. The camera's flash seems to tattoo the image in his brain - Derek still sees it when he closes his eyes. 

When Stilinski is done, Derek can't leave fast enough. 

 

\----

They return to Derek's motel room hours later. Stilinski has spent the afternoon on the phone, developing the photos from the house. They ordered Chinese food.

Stilinski stands in the middle of the room. He's holding some folders. Derek does not like the look of this. He watches as Stilinski throws a picture down on the bedcover. 

"Guadalajara, 1975." 

Derek slides the picture across the bed. It's a picture of a room; savaged by fire, save for an irregular space in the corner that's untouched. 

"Something was moved." 

Stilinski puts picture after picture on the bed. "Port-au-Prince, 1966. Nome, Alaska, 1982. Munich, 1953. Dallas, Texas, 1994."

Derek looks at the pictures. They all have spaces untouched by fire like a desert island in a sea of blackness. 

Stilinski hesitates before placing the next photo on the bed. "Beacon Hills, California, 2007." 

Derek snatches the photo up and racks his brain for an explanation. He tries to picture Cora's room and what would cause this blank space. Derek frowns. "What paranormal phenomenon do you think these prove?"

Stilinski looks Derek in the eye. "Pyrokinesis."

Derek scoffs. "Sure."

"In all these cases, the children were found wandering only a short distance from the fires, dazed and confused, but unharmed. It proves that people with pyrokinetic abilities are not affected by the flames they produce." 

"There are so many holes in that hypothesis. Cora died in the fire. We buried her." 

"Was it an open casket?" 

Derek gives Stilinski a dirty look. "You don't..." Derek shakes his head and walks over to the cardboard box containing the files relevant to the case. He rifles through the box and extracts a file and shoves it into Stilinski's hands. "The coroner's report." 

"I've already read it."

"Then you would know we didn't have an open casket for Cora, what with the fourth degree burns."

Stilinski sighs. "And how many times have we seen coroner's reports that have been completely fabricated?" 

Derek stares at his partner in disbelief. "What do you want to do? Exhume the body?"

Stilinski seems to show an increased interest in the coroner's report. 

"You want to exhume the body? Are you out of your mind? That's my sister!" 

Stilinski shakes his head. "I thought you wanted answers! Anything that doesn't fit inside a neat little box, you immediately disregard as being impossible. You need to open your eyes, Derek." 

"There's nothing to see, Stilinski." 

Stilinski shakes his head in disgust. "So you think it's a coincidence that my mother was abducted in Beacon Hills, that the photo from your house exhibits the same characteristics with known pyrokinetic events."

"There's nothing to support this!" 

"What about the military base!" 

Derek throws his hands in the air. "Of course, there must be a government conspiracy, excuuuse me." 

"The military base was shut down overnight back in 1989. 60% of the population left overnight. If that's not a cover-up, I don't know what is." 

"What could they possibly be covering up, Stilinski?" 

"Military experiments? It's not farfetched and you know it. Beacon Hills is a locus of unexplained phenomenon. They’ve always downplayed the activities that went on at the base, but look at Beacon Hills - it was practically built by the military. They don't invest all that money into infrastructure for no good reason."

"Your mother was abducted, my house burnt down after the base closed." 

Stilinski shrugs. "So they left a legacy besides an extensive warehouse district and military facilities."

Derek shakes his head. "I'm going for a drive."

"You can't keep running from this, Derek."

Derek marches to the door, throwing it open. There's a pimply-faced teen holding a greasy bag of food. Derek pushes the boy to the side and storms off to the car.

Stilinski yells after him. "So you're just going to leave me with the check? What am I going to do with all these dumplings?"

Derek just gives him a wave before he gets into the car and drives away.


	3. Special Agent Derek Hale Does Not Respond to Threats

It's only minutes later when Derek realizes he's driving back towards the ruins of his home. Derek hates how Kate has forced him to tear off the scabs and crudely probe the wounds. He had recaptured some sense of normalcy in his life, even while working on the X-Files. He had been no longer living under the specter of the fire. The feelings of guilt, braided into every organ, had finally started to loosen. It's almost like this renewed pain has transformed him into a different person, a monster even. Derek hates it. Stilinski is his partner. He trusts him explicitly. They've saved each other so many times that Derek doesn't even keep track any more. They have each other's backs. Derek knows that Stilinski wouldn't suggest digging up his sister's body if there wasn't a good reason, if he didn't believe it was the only way. 

It's still a mess. 

Derek turns down the lane that leads to his childhood home and frowns. The horizon is illuminated, unnaturally bright for this time of night. Derek hits the gas. It's a bumpy ride.

When Derek arrives at the house, he wonders if he's hallucinating. The house is on fire. Derek gets out of the vehicle and just stares briefly at the flames. He pulls out his cell phone and dials 911. 

_"911. What is your emergency?"_

"This is Special Agent Derek Hale. There is a fire at -"

_"Emergency vehicles have already been dispatched. Thank you for calling."_ The operator hangs up on him.

Derek looks at his cell phone in disbelief. He's starting to dial Stilinski, when his phone rings. "This is Special Agent Hale." 

_"Consider this your one and only warning."_

"Who is this?" 

Derek wants to throw his cell phone to the ground, smash it into a thousand pieces. There are no answers any more, only questions. Derek's tired of being in the dark. 

Derek stares at the burning house until he hears the sirens in the distance. 

\-----

When Derek arrives at his motel room, he finds Stilinski on his bed eating beef chow mein. Stilinski sees the look on his face and pauses mid-noodle slurp.

Derek shakes his head and walks into the bathroom. He spends a minute gathering his thoughts, splashing cold water on his face. When he leaves the bathroom, Stilinski is perched on the edge of the bed. Derek gives him a brief look. "We're exhuming the body." He starts poking through the take-out bag. "Where are the dumplings?"

Stilinski shakes his head. "Well that's a complete 180."

Derek nods. "Somebody's trying to scare us off." 

"Wow, they obviously don't know you at all. You're like a honey badger. I don't even need my psych degree to tell you that." 

"Yes." Derek pops a dumpling in his mouth.


	4. Exhumation Drama

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finally exhume the body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter! I'm thinking the POV is going to change to Stilinski in the next chapter, so it kind of made sense, I guess. 
> 
> Laura just kind of wriggled her way in.

It takes a couple of days to get everything in order to exhume the body. When Laura calls him, she is not happy. Derek is not afraid to admit that she scares him sometimes. She's a physical therapist and so theoretically she knows how to make him hurt - even though she protests that's not even what physical therapy is about. It's her favorite rant especially after she's had a couple of beers. The fact that she knows judo doesn't hurt matters. Laura could have gone to the 2008 Olympics...but after the fire, competing hadn't been on her mind. 

After 15 minutes, Stilinski had finally wandered over, wriggling the phone out of Derek's grasp. Laura loves Stilinski. Stilinski loves Laura even though she refers to him by his first name, which he hates. Laura gets away with it though since he's pretty sure Stilinski is afraid of her too. Stilinski is a smart one. So smart that he manages to calm Hurricane Laura, smirking as he gives the cell phone back to Derek.

_"You just be careful with yourself, Derek. I love you."_

"Love you too, Laura." 

Derek gives Stilinski a look after he hangs up the call. "You look like the cat that just ate the canary." 

"She's your sister and you can't even talk to her." 

"She's _scary_."

"That's a ridiculous assertion, Hale." 

Derek shakes his head. "She's my big sister and she thinks it's her God given right to torment me. She goes easy on you because you can always run away."

"She goes easy on me?" 

"Yes."

"Oh _shit_ , she is scary!" 

\-----

Finally, it's time. The weather seems to reflect Derek's mood. It's nasty. Stilinski jokes that if it wasn't, the universe would be out of balance. Derek waits in the coroner's office. He doesn't need to see the row of gravestones bearing the name Hale again. 

He stands in a dark corner with Stilinski as the coroner examines the body. Derek's trying not to focus too hard on what's happening, but he's startled when the coroner forcefully pokes the corpse.

"Is this a joke?"

Derek shakes his head. "What do you mean?" 

The coroner gestures at his sister's body. "This isn't a human body." 

"Of course, it's a human body, it's my sister!"

Stilinski tries to put a hand on Derek's arm, but he rushes to the table. It's not his sister. Derek doesn't know what it is. 

Stilinski walks over. "Does it have an abnormal physiology?" 

Derek nods distractedly. They've had cases where the bodies have strange mutations. But this isn't that. 

"I can say with a certain degree of confidence that this was never alive at all. It's a mannequin. One of the most realistic ones I've ever seen, but -" 

Derek looks at Stilinski. "Could it have been tampered with?"

Stilinski shakes his head. "It never left my sight, Derek."

Derek walks jerkily to the trashcan and then he vomits. It's been six years. If that's not Cora then where is she?


	5. Loose Ends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's an end, but also a beginning.

Stilinski looks over at Derek. He hasn't said a word since the coroner's office. Derek is not the most talkative of partners, but this isn't normal even for Derek "The Hound" Hale. He's been flipping through pages and pages of case files and scribbling notes. A lot of notes. Derek's hand has basically transformed into a claw. Stilinski's had enough. "C'mon Derek, I think it’s time for a break." Stilinski starts to tug at the yellow pad and then there's an impromptu bout of tug of war until Derek growls. "Did you just growl at me?!" 

Derek shakes his head. "Sorry." His voice is so hoarse that Stilinski winces. 

"It might not help Derek but I know how you feel. But what you're doing right now isn't healthy. You're not doing anybody any favors - working yourself to death." 

"I don't know where my sister is, Stilinski! SIX YEARS!" 

"Yes, Derek. Six years that you can't possibly fix overnight." 

Derek's face crumples. 

Stilinski grabs Derek by the shoulders. "You have to believe me though when I say she's okay. My mom has been missing for 23 years...but you'll go crazy if you start thinking otherwise. We'll find them. It might not be tomorrow but we'll find them."

Stilinski hears his ringtone, The Imperial Death March, and he sighs. "I should probably answer that. Are you going to be okay?" 

Derek nods numbly. "I'm going to lie down." 

Stilinski gives a quick glance, trying to gauge Derek's mental state. "I'll be right outside if you need me."

He closes the door behind him and answers the phone. "Stilinski." 

_"You're heading down a dangerous path, Stilinski."_

"A! I haven't heard from you forever. How's it hanging in Conspiracyville?" 

_"This is not a joke."_

"But if I don't laugh, I'll cry."

 _"Kate Argent's victims were not a coincidence. It's all connected. The Salamander Trials. Project Phoenix. Start there.”_

Stilinski shakes his head. It's nothing more than a breadcrumb, but it's a start. The truth is out there and they are going to find it.

 

\-------

Central California Women's Facility

Chowchilla, California 

Kate is lying on her bed staring at the gray ceiling. It's quiet. Too quiet.

"Hello Kate."

Kate scrambles to her feet. "What are you doing here?"

"Did you think I wouldn't find out? I have to say my most loyal soldier, betraying me so. It hurt a little." 

"I was loyal! I did everything you asked and this is how you treat me? Throwing me to the wolves! Leaving me here to rot for six years!" 

"You got sloppy, Kate. We don't accept sloppiness in our soldiers."

"But I'm your daughter!" 

The man laughs cruelly. "Yes, I expected even more from you."

"Past tense? Are you going to kill me or something?" 

"Yes. Oh don't look so aghast, Kate, you brought it upon yourself by leading Agent Hale down this path." 

Kate spits. "You brought it upon yourself! What you did to Allison? You deserve every single thing you're going to get." 

"Goodbye, Kate." The man walks away, but not before giving a nod to two men. 

The men walk into the cell. There's a sound of a struggle, and then silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was my master plan of merging Teen Wolf and The X-Files. Thanks for reading! 
> 
> If I were to write more in this universe (which I'm not) it would be called A Pyromantic Love Song. Allison, Scott, and Cora are in a secret government testing facility. Scott has been there the longest, kidnapped from his mother. Allison was just recently admitted into the program. Chris Argent - A. - informed Kate, who then took it upon herself to tell Hale. 
> 
> Derek's parents as well as all the parents in the other fires were all subjects in Project Phoenix. They all had terminal illnesses and the government treated them using a treatment that "burned" through their bodies removing any sickness (WHOA MAGIC SCIENCE-Y WAVEY HANDS). A unintended side effect is that some of the offspring of these patients demonstrated strange abilities, in particular pyrokinesis.
> 
> Thus the Salamander Trials. Their houses were burnt down. If anybody survived. Yay, pyrokinesis. Killing off any relatives in the fire was a bonus as it allowed the government to abduct the children to experiment on in further studies.


End file.
